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Don’t make any of these 8 mistakes when asking for letters of recommendation

How to ask for letters of recommendation for your college application – 8 critical pieces of advice

Amy Tiberio,负责招生管理的副校长

Many colleges will require one or more letters of recommendation as part of the application process. 原因在于和你一起学习的人的观点, work, interact, 服务有助于了解你的长处, character, 和潜在的. Often these letters give valuable insight into aspects of a student that we do not get from your essay, 活动列表, 和记录. 描述你的职业道德, 当你需要帮助时,你愿意寻求帮助, 你作为一个安静的领导者的方式, 你从过去的失败中学到的东西, etc. 都是有价值的.

Knowing how these letters are used is important because it helps you select the right people to write your recommendations. Let’s walk through some advice and best practices for identifying recommenders and asking them to write your letters.

  1. 重要的不是推荐人给人的印象有多深刻重要的是他们有多了解你. 学生提交公众人物的来信是很常见的, but also glaringly obvious when that person doesn’t know you well at all. 这封信听起来很普通,对学生没有任何好处. 我们对你的关系网有多厉害不感兴趣, rather we want to hear from someone who can attest to your strengths and future potential.
  2. 在截止日期之前提出要求,最好是在你与这个人互动的时间范围内. We advise that you reach out at least 4 weeks in advance of the college application deadline. It’s a good amount of work for someone to write a letter, and adults are busy people. Give them plenty of time and offer gentle reminders or check-ins as you near the deadline. 如果你还在寻找大学, strongly consider asking for letters of recommendation when you interact with people who would speak highly of you. For example, 如果你在大三的秋天真的和老师合得来, don’t be afraid to ask for a letter at that time even if you don’t yet know where you’ll be applying. When their memory is fresh, the letter will be better and easier for them to write.
  3. Have your recommender submit the letter directly to each of your colleges,或者用密封的信封寄给你,让你寄进去. Recommendation letters should be written with the integrity that the student has not influenced the content in any way. If the recommender wishes to share a copy of the letter with the student after they’ve written it, 这取决于他们. But, admission counselors may be weary of a letter that is submitted by the student versus directly by the recommender.
  4. 问问最近认识你的人. The person you are now is likely far more evolved and mature than the person you were in middle school. While you may have had a really great relationship with someone you knew at age 12, 大学对你现在的样子很感兴趣.
  5. Most colleges expect a letter from your school counselor and one from a teacher. If only one letter is required, you’ll want to submit the person who has the most holistic view. Some students find that their school counselor does not know them particularly well. 有时学校辅导员会被指派给数百名学生, 因此,与每个人建立关系是不可能的. We will not penalize a student for having a counselor recommendation that indicates that they do not know the student well because of caseload. 如果你是这样的话, then you will likely want to send at least one other recommendation letter from someone who can speak more deeply and thoroughly about you.
  6. 也许不要问给你A+的老师. We often get better insight from the teachers of the classes that were more challenging for you. 这些老师知道你如何应对挫折, 如何以及何时寻求帮助, 你如何利用你的资源——所有重要的经验和品质.
  7. 考虑质量和数量. It’s important to make note of how many recommendation letters are required by each college to which you are applying, 但你可以选择发送额外的信件. 你可能认为越多越好,但事实并非如此. So, when is it appropriate to send optional, additional letters of recommendation? The best practice is to do so when these letters offer a distinct insight from that of the required letters/recommenders. For example, 如果你在兼职工作中被提升为轮班主管, your boss likely has different insights than that of your counselor and teacher.
  8. Don’t let your recommenders simply reiterate your 活动列表 or transcript. 我们在你的申请中看到了这些项目,不需要在这里重新列出. 我们真正想要的是你如何完成事情背后的故事, 你是如何克服挑战的, 你有什么资产?, 以及你如何为不同的社区做出贡献. 

根据这个建议明智地选择你的推荐人, and don’t be afraid to use this article to help them understand how important their words are and to help guide their letter writing. 不要犹豫 直接网赌的十大网站 有任何具体问题或需要更多指导!

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